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M VAGE SIX 1I inOxN COUNTY RECORD, CEDAR CITY, UTAH. FRIDAY, AUGUST 13, 1920.
I vA.CorvAn Dotile
H I AUTHOR 4"THE ADVENTUREJ of OHERLOCtf HOLMk5"
H PI ICOPYRtGHT I
BBH r-SJ S DY A. CON AN
BVJ Sq--j 1 ' i , ' - ii - DOITE ...
H CHAPTER I.
B The Night of tho Deacons.
B It is stranga to me, Jack Caldcr of
BH West Inch, to fed thnt though now,
Hm in tho very center of tho nineteenth
BB century, I am but flvc-und-flfty yenra
H of nge, nntl though It Is only onco a
Ha week, perhaps, thnt my wlfo can
BB pluck out a little grny bristle from
B ' over my enr, yet I hnvo lived In n tlmo
BB when the thoughts und tlio ways of
BB men were ns different as though It
B , were another plnnet from this. For
j when I walk In my fields I can sec,
BB down Berwick wny, tho little (luffs of
BB whl to Hinoko which tell mo of this
BB strange, now, hundred-legged beast
Bfl with cpnls for food and a thousand
BB men In Its belly, forever crawling over
BB the border. On n shiny day I enn sco
BB the glint of tho brass work ns it takcs
BB the curve near Corrlcmulr. And then
BB as I look out to Hen, there Is tho same
' benst again, or a dozen of thcrn, mny-
Hi . he, leaving a trail of blnck In tho air
H'i 'and of whlto In tho water, and swlm-
H';!, m,nR in the faco of the wind ns ens-
H - -- "y "s ' salmon up tho Tweed. Such
H:j n sight as that would have struck my
Hi I good old father speechless with wrath
Bf hs well as surprise, for he was so
BB stricken with tho fear of offending tho
M Creator that he was chary of contra-
H , dieting Nature, and nlwnys held tho
BT new thing to bo nenrly akin to tho
BH hlnsphcmous. As long ns God made
BBm the horse, and n man, down Blrmlng-
BBa ham way, the engine, my good old dnd
BBT would have stuck by tho saddle nnd
HH the spurs.
H1 When he died wo had been lighting
BH , with scarce a break, save for two short
BBj years, for very nenrly n quarter of a
BB century. Babies who wore born in the
BH war grew to bo bearded men with bn-
HHJ hies of tliclr own, and still the war
BBV continued. Thoso who had served and
H fought In their stalwart prime grew
H,l stiff nnd bent, and yet tho ships nnd
H; the nrmlcs were struggling. During
Hl U"t long tlmo wo fought tho Dutch,
BB wo fought tho Danes, wo fought tho
HBf Spanish, wo fought tho Turks, wo
H fought tho Americans, we fought the
Montcvidcans, until It seemed that in
BH this universal struggle no rnco was
BH too near of kin or too far awny to ho
drawn Into tho quarrel. But most of
B f nil it was tho French whom we fought,
H- und tho man whom of nil others we
BH loathed nnd feared nnd admired wns
H i the great captnln who ruled them.
H i Tfr Wflfa WTO ivnll in lfnit, nlithtixii
H. I him, nnd sing songs about him, nnd
' mnkc as though ho were nn Impostor,
J hut I can tell you thnt the fear of that
H ' man hung like n black shndow over
H ( all Europe, and thnt there was n time
B . When the glint of a fire at night upon
H the const would sot every woman
BV upon her knees and every man grln-
B Ping for his musket lie had always
BV won. Thnt wns the terror of It. Tho
BB ' fates seemed to bo behind him. And
BB now wo know thnt he lay upon tho
BB northern coast with n hundred and
BB , fifty thousnnd veterans, and the boats
B for their passage. Hut It Is an old
BB ' story liow n third of the growp folk
B of our countrj' took up arms, and how
BH our little ono-oyed, one-armed man
BB crushed their fleet There was still
H to bo n land Qf free thinking nnd free
BH speaking In Europe.
Hj There' wns a great beacon ready on
BK tho hill by Tweedmouth, built up of
BB logs nnd tnr bnrrels, und I can well
B; remember how night nfter night I
Bfl 8trnlned my eyes to see If It were
B ablaze. I was only eight at tho tlmo,
BB but it is nn ago when one takes a
H grief to heart, und I felt as though
BB tho fate of tho country hung In some
BB ' fashion upon mo nnd my vigilance.
BB , And then ono night as I looked I sud-
B ilcnly snw a little flicker on tho hen-
BB con hill a single red tongue of flame
BB In tho darkness. And then the llnmo
BBr. shot higher, and I saw tlio red, qulv-
B T orlng lino upou the water boyond, nnd
BB I dashed Into tho kitchen, screeching
B't to my fnthcr thnt the French had
K crossed and tho Twecdmoulh light was
Bf, nflame. I can sco him now ns ho
B ' knocked his pipe out nt tho side of tho
B lire, nnd looked nt mo from over tho
H top of his horn spectacles.
B "Are you sure, Jock?" says he.
B "Sure ns denth," I gasped.
B no renched out Ills hand for tho
H, Blblo upon the table and opened It
BB i" upon his kneo ns though ho meant to
BB read to us, but ho shut it ngnln In
BB ullenco nnd hurried out. Wo went
BB down to tho gate which opons out
BB upon tho highway. From thero wo
BB ' could see the red light of tho big beu-
BB" con, and the glimmer of u smaller ono
Bn to tho north of us nt Ayfon. Tho old
BB- road had more folk on It than ever
B passed along It at night before, for
many of tho yeomen tip our way had
1 enrolled themselves ami wore riding
now as fast as hoof could carry them
for the tuustor. Some lind n stirrup cup
or two hoforo parting, and 1 cannot
forget one who toro past on a hugo
whlto horse, brandishing n great rusty
oword lu tho moonlight. Thoy shouted
H - .-.,
BH''
)
to us, ns they passed, that tho North
Berwick law-lire was blazing, nnd that
it was thought that tlio alarm had
como from Edinburgh cnstle. There
wcro n few who galloped tho other
wny, couriers for Edinburgh, nnd the
Inlrd's son and Mnster Clnyton, tho
deputy sheriff, nnd such like.
But early in tlio morning wo had our
minds set at ense. It wns grny nnd
cold, and my mother had gono up to
the house to mnko a pot of tea for
us, when thero came a gig down tho
road with Doctor Ilorscroft of Ayton
In It nnd his son Jim. Tlio collar of
tho doctor's coat camo over his enrs,
nnd ho looked In n dendly blnck hu
mor, for Jim, who wns but fifteen
years of ngo, had trooped .off to Ber
wick nt tho first alarm with his fa
ther's new fowling piece. All night
his dad had chased htm, nnd now there
he wns, n prisoner, with tho barrel of
tho stolen gun sticking out from be
hind the sent. lie looked ns sulky ns
his father, with his hands thrust Into
his side pockots, his brows drnwn
down, nnd his lower Up thrust out.
"It's' nil n lie," shouted tho doctor,
as ho pnssed. "There has been no
landing, nnd nil tho fools In Scotlnnd
have been gnddlng nbout the ronds for
nothing." Ilia son Jim snarled some
thing up nt him on this, and his fnthor
struck him n blow with his clenched
fist on tlio side of tho bend, which
sent tho boy's chin forward upon his '
breast as though ho had been stunned, t
Now nil this has little enough to do
with whnt I took my pen up to tell I
nbout; but when a mnn has n good (
memory nnd llttlo skill ho ennnot
draw ono thought from his njnd with-
out n dozen others trailing out behind
it. And yet, now thnt I como to think '
of It, this hnd something to do with It
nfter all; for Jim Ilorscroft had so
dendly a qunrrel with his father that '
ho was packed off to Blrtwhlstlo's
Berwick academy; nnd as my fnther'
hnd long wished mo to go thero ho
took ndvnntngo of this clmnco to send '
mo nlso.
There wns from tho first n great j
friendship between Jim Horscroft, tho
doctor's son, nnd me. He wns cock
boy of the school from tho dny he '
enme, for within tho hour ho hnd ,
thrown Barton, who had been cock be
fore him, right through tho big black-1
board In tho classroom. Jim always I
ran to musclo nnd bone, nnd oven then
ho wns squnro nnd tall, short of speech I
ntirl Innr nt firm tmiMi nlrnn fv Immn.
nim long or nrm, mucu given to loung
ing with his broad back ngnlnst walls,
and his hnnds deep In his breeches
pockets. I can even recall thnt ho had
a trick of keeping n straw In tho cor
ner of his mouth, Just where ho used
afterward to hold his pipe. Jim was
always tho same, for good and for bad,
since flrst I knew him.
Heavens! Now we all looked up to
him I Wo were 'but young snvnges,
und hnd a savage's respect for power.
Whnt tales we used to whisper about
his strength; how he put his fist
through tho onk panel of tho game
room door. How when Long Merrl
dew was carrying the ball, ho caught
up Mevrldew, ball and nil. nnd ran
swiftly past every opponent to the
coal. It did not seem fit to us thnt
such n one as he should trouble his
head about spondees and dactyls, or
are to know w' o signed tho Magna
('Imrta. When he said In open class
that King Alfred was tho man, we
llttlo hoys all felt that very likely It
was so, and that perhaps Jim knew
niore about it than the mnn who wrote
the book.
For two yenrs we were close friends,
for all tho gnp that the years had
made between us, nnd, though In pns
1n or In want of thought he did
many a thing that gnlled mo, yet I
loved him like a brother, nnd wept as
much as would have tilled an Ink
bottle when at last, after two yours,
he went off to Edinburgh to study his
father's profession. Five years after
that did I bide at Blrtwhlstlo's, and
when I left I had become cock myself,
for I was as wiry and as tough as
whalebone, though I never rim to
wnlght and sinew, like my great prede
cessor. It was In Jubilee year that I
left Blrtwhlstlo's, and then for three
years I stayed at home, learning tho
ways of the cattle; but still the ship
nnd tho nrmles wore wrestling, and
still the grent shadow of Bouaparto
lay across tho country.
How could I guess thnt I, too,
should have a hand In lifting thnt
shadow forever from our peoplo?
CHAPTER II.
Cousin Edle of Eyemouth.
Some years before, when 1 was atlll
but a lad, there had come over to us
upon a live weeks' visit the only
daughter of my father's brother. WII
lie Cnldcr had settled nt Eyemouth
as a maker of flshlug nets, nnd ho had
mado more out of twlno than over wo i
were like to do out of thu whin bushes
and sand links of Wast Inch. So Ida '
laughter, Edle Cnldcr, enmc over with
i braw red frock nnd n five-shilling
bonnet and a klst full of things that
brought my donr mother's eyes out
like n pnrten's.
I took no great stock of girls nt
Hint time, for It was hard for me to
ce whnt they had been mndc for.
There were none of us nt Blrtwhlstlo's
thnt thought very much of them; but
the smallest laddies seemed to have
the most sense, for, after they began
to grow bigger they were not so sure
nbout it. Wo little ones were all of
one mind that n creature thnt couldn't
fight nnd wns cnrrylng tnles, and
couldn't so much ns shy n stone with
out flapping its nrm like n rag in the
wind wns no use for nnythlng.
So when this ono came to the stead
ing nf West Inch I wns not best
pleased to sco her. I was twelve at
the tlmo (It wns in the holidays) nnd
she eleven, a thin, tnlllsh girl, with
blnck eyes nnd tho queerest wnys. She
wns forever stnrlng out In front of
her, with her lips pnrted as if she saw
something wonderful; but when I
came behind her nnd looked tho same
way I could see nothing but the
sheep's trough or tho midden or fa
ther's breechoB hanging on n clothes
line. And then if sho snw a lump of
heatl'ier or bracken, or any common ,
stuff of that sort, sho would mopej
over it ns if it hnd struck her sick, nnd .
cry, "How sweet I how perfect 1" Just1
ns though It had been n nalnted nle-
ture. When I used to tell her thnt
she waB good for nothing, nnd thnt her
father wns n fool to bring her up like
thnt, sho would begin to cry, nnd sny
thnt I wns n rudo boy, nnd thnt Btic
I would go home thnt very night, nnd
never forgive me ob long as sho lived,
I But In five minutes sho had forgotten
I all about It. Whnt wns strange wns
; thnt she liked me n deal better than
, I did her, and she would never leave
I mo alone, but sho wns nlwnys watch-
Ing me nnd running after rae, nnd
then snylng, "Oh, hero you nrol" na
If it were a surprise.
Jim Ilorscroft wns away when
. Cousin Edlo wns with us, but ho came
bnck tho very week sho went, nnd 1
! mind how surprised I wns thnt he
i should nsk any questions or take any
Interest In n mero lassie. Die nsked
mo If sho wore pretty; and when 1
said that I hadn't noticed ho lnughcd
nnd called mo a mole, nnd sold my
eyes would bo opened somo day. But
very soon ho came to bo interested in
something else, nnd I never gnvo Edle
nnother thought until one dny sho Just
took my life In her hnnds nnd twisted
it ns I could twist this quill.
Thnt wns In 1813, after I hnd left
school, when I wns nlrendy eighteen
yenrs of age, with n good forty hnl
on my upper Up nnd every hope ol
more. I had changed since I lefl
school, nnd wns not so keen on games
as I hnd been, but found myself in
stead lying nbout on the sunny side
of tho braes, "with my own lips pnrted
nnd my eyes stnring Just tlio snmo nt
Cousin Edlo's used to do'. It had sat
isfied me, nnd filled my wholo life, that
I could run fnster nnd Jump higher,
thnn my neighbor, but now all thnt I
seemed such a little thing, nnd 1
yenmed nnd looked up nt the big nrch
lng sky nnd down at the flat blue sen,
nnd felt thnt thero vns somcthlnp
wnntlng, but could never lny my
tongue to whnt that something was.
And I beenmo quick of temper, too,
for my nerves seemed all of a fret;
and when my mother would nsk me
whnt nlled me, or my fnther would
I spenk of my turning my hand to work,
I would brenk Into such shnrp, blttei
nnswers as I havo often grieved over
since. Ah, a mnn mny have more than
ono wife, nnd more than ono child,
and more thnn ono friend, but he can
nover hnvo but one mother, so let him
' cherish her while ho mny.
1 Ono dny, when I enmo In from the
1 sheep, there wns my fnther sitting
I with n letter In his hnnds, which wns
! n very rare thing with us, except when
tho fnctor wrote for tho rent. Then
when I enme nenror to him I snw thnt
he wns crying, and I stood storing, for
I had always thought that It was not
n thing thnt n mnn could do. My
mother snt beside him nnd stroked his
hnnd llko sho did the cat's bnck when
she would soothe It.
"Aye, Jennnle," said he, "poor Wil
lie's gone. It's from tho lawyer, nnd
it wns sudden, or they'd hn sent word
i of it. Cnrhuncle, lie snys, nnd a flush
o' blood to tho head."
"Ah, well, his trouble's over," said
my mother.
My fnther rubbed his cars with thei
tablecloth, "no's left a his savings
to his lassie," snld he, "nnd, by gom,
If she's not changed from whnt she
promised to bo sho'll soon gnr them
flee. Ho doesn't say how much, but
sho'll havo enough nnd to spare, he
snys. And she's to come and bide with
us, for that was his last wish,"
"To pay for her keep," cried my
mother sharply. I was sorry that she
should have spoken of money at that
moment, but then if she had not been
sharp wo should have been on the
roadside In a twelvemonth.
' "Aye, she'll pay, nnd she's coming
I this very day. Jock, hid, I'll wnnt you
to drive to Ayton nnd meet the eve-
; nlng coach. Your cousin Edlo will
be In It nnd you can fetcli her over
, to West Inch."-
i And so off I started, at quarter past
live, with Souter Johnnie, tho long-
1 haired flftcen-ycar-old, and our cart
with tho new-pnlntod tailboard, thnt
,wo only used on great days. The
conch wns In, Just as I came, and I,
llko n foolish country lad, taking no
hoed to the years that had passed, wns
looking nbout among the folk In tho
Inn front for n slip of a girl with her !
petticoats Just under hor knees. And
' as I slouched past and craned my
i nock thero came a touch to my olbow,
and thore was a lady, droased all In
'black, standing by the stops, und I
j ... .& ; j
knew that It v,ns my cousin Edle.
I kr."w It, I say, nnd yet had she
I not touched me I might have passed
i her n score of times ami never known
i It. My word, if Jim HorKcroft had
' nsked me then If she were pretty or
I no I should have known bow to answer
him! She was dark, much darker
than Is common among our border
lassies, and yet with such a faint
flush of pink breaking through her
! dainty color, like tho deeper Hush nt
the heart of a sulphur rose. Her lips
, were red and kindly nnd firm, and
i even then, at the first glance, I saw
,' that light of mischief and mockery thnt
I danced away at tho buck of her grent
dnrk eyes. She took mo then nnd
there ns though I hud been her herl
! tage, put out her hnnd und plucked
' me. Sho wns, as I have said, In
black, dressed In what seemed to me
i a wondrous fashion, with a black veil
pushed up from her brow.
j "Ah, Jack," said she, In a mincing
English fashion that she had learned
nt the boarding school. "No, no, we
nro rather old for that " TIiIh be
cause I, In my awkward fashion, was
pushing my foolish brown face for
ward to kiss her, as I had done when
I saw her last.
"Is this our carriage? How funny
It looks. And where nm I to sit?"
"On the sacking," snld I.
"And how nm I to get thero?"
"Put your foot on the hub," said I;
"I'll llfiln vmi " T cnrnnif li nml innlr
"I'll help you." I sprang up nnd took
her two llttlo gloved hands In my
own. As she came over the side, her
breath blew In my face, sweet and
1 warm, and all that vagueness and un
rest "coined In a moment to have been
shredded away from my soul. I felt
as If that Instant had taken me out
from myself and mnde me ono of the
race. It took but the tlmo of the flick
ing of the horse's tall, and yet some
thing had happened, n bnrrler had
' gone down somewhere, and I wns lea,d
1 Ing a wider and a wiser life. I felt
It all In n gush, but, shy and back
j ward as I was, I could do nothing but
I flatten out the sacking for her. Her
eyes were nfter the conch which wns
1 rattling away to Berwick, and sud
j denly she shook her handkerchief In
1 the nlr.
1 "He took off his hat," said she; "I
think he must have been an olllcer. He
wns very distinguished looking; per
haps you. noticed him a gentlemnn on
the outside, very handsome, with a
l brown overcoat."
1 I shook my head, with all my flush
of Joy changed to foolish resentment.
"Ah, well, I shall never see him
again. Here are nil the green hrnes,
nnd the brown, winding road, Just the
same as ever. And you, Jack I don't
see any great change In you, either. I
hope your mnnners aro better than
they used to be. You won't try to
put any frogs down my back, will
you?"
I crept all over when T thought of
such n thing. "We'll do all we can to
mnko you happy at West Inch," said I,
playing with tho whip.
"I'm sure It's very kind of you to
take a poor, lonely girl In," snld she.
"It's kind of you to come, Cousin
Edle," I stammered. "You'll find it
very dull, I fear."
"I suppose it is a little quiet, Jnck.
Not many men about, as I remember
It. By the way, that crabbed old doc
tor had a son, had ho not?"
, "Oh, yes, that's Jim Ilorscroft, my
best friend."
"Is he nt home?"
"No; he'll bo home soon. He's still
nt Edinburgh, Studying."
1 "Ah, we'll keep each other company
until ho conies. Jack. And I'm very
tired, and I wish I wns at West Inch."
I made old Souter Johnnie cover the
ground ns he had never done before or
since, nnd In an hour she was seated
at the supper table, where my mother
had laid out not only butter hut a
glass dish of gooseberry Jam which
sparkled and looked fine In the candle
light. I could see thnt my parents
were as overcome as I was at tho dif
ference In her, though not In the same
way. After supper, when she had
gone to her bed, they could talk of
nothing but her looks and her breed
ing. "By the wny, though," says my fn
ther, "It does not look as If she were
hearthroke about my brother's death."
And then, for the flrst time, I re
membered that she had never said a
word about the matter since I had nut
her.
'CHAPTER III.
The Shadow on the Waters.
It was not very long before Cousin
Edle wns queen of West Inch, and we
all her devoted subjects from my fa
ther down. The south room, which
was the sunniest and had the honey
suckle round the window, was for her;
and It was a marvel to see the things j
that she brought from Berwick to put
Into It. Twice a week sho would drive ,
over. Aim uie cart wouiu not do ror
.her; for she hired a gig from Angus
Whitehead, whoso farm lay over the
hill. And it was seldom she went
without bringing something buck for
lone or other of us. It was a wooden
I pipe for my father, or a Shetland plaid
' for my mother, or a hook for me, or a
brass collar for Rob, tho collie. There
was never a woman more free-handed.
But the best thing that she gnvo us
was Just her own presence. To mo It
changed the whole countryside; nnd
tho sun was brighter and the braes
greener, and tho nlr sweeter from the
day sho came. Our lives wore com
mon no longer, now that we spent
them with such a one as sho; and the
old, dull gray house was another place
In my eyes since sho had sot her foot
across the doormat. It was not her
face, though that was winsome
onouijth; nor her form, though I never
saw thu lass thnt could match her.
But It was her spirit; her quoor,
mocking wnys; her frosh, new fashion
or talk; her proud whisk of the dress
I and toss of the heail. which made ore
feel like the ground beneath bur feet;
1 and then the quick challenge In her
I eye and the kindly word that brought
i one up to her level again.
The more I loved her the more
frightened I was at her; and she could
see the fright long before she knew
the love. I was uneasy to he nwny
from her; nnd yet, when I was with
her, I wns In n shiver H the time for
fear my stumbling talk might weary
her or give her offense. Had I known
more of the ways of women I might
have taken less pains.
We found our level after a time,
when she snw that she had Just to do
what she liked and how she liked, and
that I was as much nt her beck nnd
call as old Rob was at mine. You'll
think thnt I wns n fool to hnvo hnd
my bend so turned, nnd miiybe I was;
but, then, you must think how llttlo
I was used to women, and how much
we were thrown together. Besides,
she was a woman lu a million, and I
can tell yon that It was a strong head
that would not be turned by her.
Why, there was Major Elliott, a man
that had hurled three wives, and had
twelve pitched battles to his name.
Edle could have turned him round her
finger like a damp rag she, only new
from the hoarding school. I met him
hobbling from West Inch, the flrst
time after she came, with pink In his
lllillltU tttlll tt nlltllik Id 1Ii ... Jl...
cheeks and a shine In his eye that
took ten years from him. He was
cocking up his gray mustnehes at ei
ther end, and curling them into his
eyes and strutting out with his sound
leg as proud as a piper. Whnt she
had said to him the Lord knows, but
It was like old wine In his veins.
I saw the corner of a newspaper
thrusting out of his pocket, and I
knew thnt he hnd come' over, ns wns
his way, to give me somo news, for
we heard little enough nt West Inch.
"What Is fresh, major?" 1 asked.
He pulled the pnper out with a flour
ish. "The allies have won n great
battle, my lnd," says he. "I don't
think N'ap' can stand up long against
this. The Saxons hnvo thrown him
over, and he's been bndly bent at
Leipzig. Wellington Is pnst the Pyr
enees and (iridium's folk will be at
Bayonne before long."
I chucked up my hat. "Then the
war will come to an end nt Inst," I
cried.
"Aye. and time, too," said he, shak
ing his head gravely. "It's been n
bloody business. But It Is hardly
worth while for me to say now what
was In my mind about you."
"What was that?"
"Well, laddie, you aro doing no
good here and now that my knee Is
getting more limber I was hoping that
I might get on active service again. I
wondered whether, maybe, you might
like to do a little soldiering under me."
My heart jumped at the thought.
"Aye, would II" I cried.
"But It'll he clear six months before
I'll be fit to pass a bonrd, and It's long
odds that Boney will be under lock
and key before that."
"And there's my mother," said I. ,
"I doubt she'd never let me go." j
"Ah, well, she'll never be asked to
now," he answered, nnd hobbled on
upon his way.
I sat down among the heather, with
my chin on my hnnd, turning the thing
over In mind, and watching him In his
old brown clothes, with the end of a
gray plaid flapping over his shoulder
as lie picked his way up the swell of
the hill. It was n poor life this nt
West Inch, waiting to 1111 my father's
shoes, with the sanio heath and the
same gray house forever beforo me.
But over there over the blue sea
ah, there was a life fit for a man.
For two days I turned It over In my
mind, and on the third there came
something which flrst brought my res
olutions to a head and then blow them
all to nothing, like a puff of smoke
In the wind.
I had strolled out In the ufternoon
with Cousin Edle nnd Rob, until we
found ourselves on the brow of the
slope which dips away down to the
beach. I pulled an armful of bracken
to make a couch for Edle, and there
she lay In her listless fashion, happy
' and contented, for of all. folk that I
have ever met she hud the most Joy
from warmth and light.
, There was a ship coming up with
the wind a black, sedate old mer-
l chantinun bound for Lelth ns likely
us not. Her yards were square and
' she wns running with nil sail set. On j
the other tack, coming from the north- I
east, were two grent, ugly, lugger-like I
craft, with one high mast each, and a
big. square, brown sail. A prettier I
sight one would not wish thnn to see j
the three craft dipping along upon so
fair a day, hut of a sudden there came
a spurt of Hume and a whirl of blue
smoke from one lugger, then the same
from the second, and n rap-rup-rnp i
from the ship, lu a twinkling hell hud j
elbowed out heaven, and there on the
water was hatred and savagery and
the lust for blood.
I Weiad sprung to our feet nt tlio.
outburst nml Edio put her hand, nil in
; a tremble, upon my nrm,
r "They nro fighting. Jack," sho cried.
"Whnt aro they? Who are they?"
My heart was thudding with tho
I guns, nnd It was all that I could do
to answer her for tho catch of my
breath.
"It's two French privateers, Edle,"
said I. "Chnsse-marees, they cnll
I them, and yen's one of our merchant
I ships, and they'll tako her as sure ns
death, for tho mnjor says that they've
always got heavy guns, nnd nro ns full
of men as an egg's full of meat. Why
doesn't the fool inako back for Tweed
mouth bar?"
But Hot nn inch nt ennvns did she
lower, floundi.rlug on In her stolid
fashion, while a llttlo black ball ran
up her peak and tho rare old ting
streamed suddenly out from tho bnl-
I Hard. Then ngaln came the rnprap
I rap of her little guns and the boom
j boom of the big carronades'lu the
I hows of the lugger. An Instant Inter
f the three ships met, and the merchant
I man staggered on like a stag with two
j wolves hanging to Its haunches. For
I n stricken hour the hell-cloud moved
j slowly across the face or the wuter,
and still, with our hearts In our
mouths, we watched the flap of the
Hug, straining to see If It were yet &
there. And then suddenly the ship, W4ff
as proud and black and high as ever,
shot on upon her way, and us the
smoke cleared we saw ono of the lug
gers squatterlng like n broken-winged
duck upon the water, nnd the other
working hard to get the crew from
her before sho sank.
For all that hour I hnd lived for
nothing but the light. My enp hnd
been whisked wny by tho wind, but
I hnd nover given It n thought. Now,
with my henrt full, I turned upon
Cousin Edle, nnd the sight of her took
me buck six yenrs. There wns tho
vacant, staring eye and the parted lips,
Just as I hnd seen them In her girl
hood, nnd her little hnnds were
clenched until the knuckles gleamed
like Ivory.
"Ah, thnt cnptnln !" she snld, tnlklng
to the heath and the whin bushes.
"There Is a mnn so strong, so reso
lute! I would give n year of my life
to llient stipli n mnn Tint Hint lu lI,m-
to meet such a mnn. But thnt Is whnt
living In the country means. Ono
never sees anybody but Just those who
are lit for nothing better."
I do not know that she meant to
hurt me, though she was never very
backward at that; hut, whntever her
Intention, her words seemed to strike
straight upon n naked nerve.
"Very well, Cousin Edle," I snld, try
ing to spenk cnlnily. "Thnt puts the
cap on It. I'll tako the bounty lu Ber
wick tonight."
"Oh, you'd look so handsome in a
red coat, Jack, and It Improves you
vastly when you are In a temper, r
wish your eyes would always flash llko
that, for It looks so nice and manly.
But I am sure that you aro Joking
about the soldiering."
"I'll let you see If I'm Joking." Then
nnd thero I sot off running over the
moor, until I burst Into the kitchen
where my father and mother were sit
ting on either side of the Ingle.
"Mother," I cried, "I'm off for a
soldier."
Had I said that I was off for a bur
glnr they could not lmvo looked worso
j over It, for In those days among the
I decent, canny country folks It was
I mostly the black sheep that were
herded by the sergeant. But, my word,
( those same black sheep did their coun
try some rare service, too! My mothdr
put up her mittens to her oyes, and
mv father looked as black as a pent
hole.
j "Hoots. Jock, you're daft," says he.
"Daft or no, I'm going."
"Then you'll have no blessing from
me."
"Then I'll go without."
At this my mother gave a screech
and throws her arms about my neck.
I saw her hand, all hard and worn
and knuckly with the work that fho
1 had done for my upbringing, and It
pleaded with me as words could not
have done. My heart was soft for her,
but my will was as hard as a flint
edge. I put her bnck In her chair
with a kiss, and then ran to my room
to pack my bundle. It was already
growing dark, and I had a long walk
before me; so 1 thrust a few things
together and hastened out. As I came
through the side door someone touched
my shoulder, nnd there wns Edle In
the glonmlng.
"Silly boy!" snld she. "You nro not
really going? I don't want you to go,
Jack."
"You snld that the folk In the coun
try were fit for nothing better. You
always speak like that. You think no
more of me than of thoso doves In the
cote. You think I'm nobody nt nil. I'll
show you different." AH my troubles
came out In hot little spurts of speech.
She colored up ns I spoke nnd looked
nt me In her queer, half-mocking, hnlf
pettlng fnsliion.
"Oil, I think so llttlo of you ns thnt,"
snld she. "And that Is the reason why
you are going away. Well, then, Jack,
will you stay If I nm If I nm kind to
you?"
Wo were fnce to fnco nnd close to
gether, nnd In nn Instnnt tho thing
wns done. My nrins were round her,
nnd I wns kissing her, nnd kissing her,
and kissing her, on her mouth, her
cheeks, her eyes, and pressing her to
my heart, and whispering to her that
she was all, all to me, nnd that I could
not be without her. She said noth
ing, but It was long before she turned
her face aside, and when she pushed
me hack It was not very bard.
"Why, you nre quite your rude, old.
Impudent self," said she. patting her
hnlr with her two hands, "You have
iiPiliul mil Til nlv T 1 . .1 ,.. 1.1.. i
uiKci-ii mi-,, ,1111-u, i nun nil mull umi
you would be so forward."
' But all my fear of her was gone, nnd $?.'
a love tenfold hotter than ever was 5 '
boiling In my veins. I took her up
again and kissed her, ns If It wero my
right.
"You nre my very own now," I cried.
"I shall not go to Berwick, but I'll stny
nnd ninrry you." S
But sho lnughcd when I spoke of
uiurrliige. "Silly hoy! Silly boy!"
said she. with her forefinger up. nnd
then when I tried to lay hands on her
again she gave a little dainty courtesy
and was oft' Into tho house.
(Continued next week.)
Mrs. Thomns Blnden hns gone to
Sterling, Cnnnda, to visit her brother
for n month.
9
Allen Stout of Hurricane hns moved
his fnmily to Cedar to avoid tho heat
of Pixie's August weather.